


A Poor Reflection

by tisfan



Series: WinterIron Bingo Adventure [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Evil Twins, M/M, Mirrors, Self-Doubt, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 03:51:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14947059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tisfan/pseuds/tisfan
Summary: When you stare to hard into the Abyss, the Abyss stares back at you.Tony doesn't much like his reflection. Turns out, his reflection returns the sentiment.





	A Poor Reflection

**Author's Note:**

> for my first Winteriron Bingo fill
> 
> Mirror Mirror, doppelgangers, clones, and evil twins

_Textbook narcissism. Prone to self-destructive tendencies. Compulsive behaviors._

Tony sighed, straightened his tie.

“You shouldn’t let her get to you, you know,” he told his reflection quite seriously. “Jealous, maybe.”

Natasha was a spy, she was supposed to be an expert at reading people. One the best in the world. So how had she never seen behind Tony’s masks?

“You talkin’ to yourself again, doll?” Bucky came out of their massive bathroom, pulling his hair up into a somehow both sloppy and yet utterly perfect half-bun. He used the elastic in his teeth to secure it.

Tony looked at the floor length mirror, some old thing that Pepper had scavenged out of the Stark Mansion before Tony’d had the whole place boxed up and sold. Now, the enormous building was a homeless shelter and soup kitchen and adult learning center. Somewhere, Howard was probably spinning in his grave. That thought made him smile.

“Little bit,” Tony admitted. He straightened his tie, shot his cuffs, brushed imaginary wrinkles out of his shirt. Natasha had given him the shotgun-and-shovel speech a few days ago and it had been dotted with references to Tony’s pre-Iron Man days (debauched) and his early hero days (reckless and foolhardy) and his current lifestyle (overworked, exhausted, and prone to paranoia).

“You look great,” Bucky told him, misreading it, just a little. Then he tipped Tony’s chin up, kissed him. “And I don’t care what other people think.” Okay, so maybe Bucky was a little more observant than Nat. Almost eerily so, except that when Bucky put his finger on the issue, he did so with love, concern, caring. All those things other people thought Tony didn’t deserve.

“I don’t care enough to change,” Tony told him, and that was true. “But the burden of other people’s expectations can get really heavy.”

“How about my expectations, lover?” Bucky asked. He pulled Tony up against his chest, looking at both of them in the mirror. “I expect us to knock ‘em dead at this press conference. I expect t’ have a glass of wine and some fancy little finger foods at our engagement party, and I expect to dance with you all night. And then I expect to come back here, peel you out of this expensive suit, and have my wicked way with you.”

“That’s a burden I can live with,” Tony admitted. He tipped his head back for a kiss and Bucky gave it to him. “You know I love you, right? Like a truly horrific, embarrassing amount.”

“I know,” Bucky said, nuzzling at Tony’s ear. “Love you, too. Now let’s go, or we’re gonna be late.”

Tony stuck his tongue out at the mirror, at his reflection. _I hate you._

_***_

The room was dark. Quiet.

The guests of honor and their attendees were lost in the evening’s entertainment.

The mirror was burning with quiet anger.

The image bubbled to the surface. As destructive as he was beautiful, as self-absorbed as he was rich, as compulsive as he was intelligent.

Tony Stark straightened his tie, brushed non-existent wrinkles out of his shirt. An absolute, perfect duplicate. With one overriding goal.

_Hate me, will you?_

To take everything away from his original, to insert himself into Tony Stark’s life. And to destroy it.

And who better to do that… then the man himself?


End file.
